Tea Cocktails Pt 2: Loose Leaf Tea with a Whole Lot of Holiday Cheer!

Time for a spot of tea with something extra!

If you are a tea lover, you probably do not need an excuse to make a wonderful cup of tea for yourself when you get back from work, or when you wake up in the morning! But with the holiday season in full swing, it may be a good idea to check out some new tea recipes to spice up your daily routine.

The holidays are the perfect excuse to try some exotic recipes that you may normally not consider making. And if you are drinking loose leaf tea, you are sure to enjoy these recipes even more, given the wonderful aroma and taste you can get from loose leaves, as opposed to the teabag variety.

Frosted Owl

One of the most exciting tea recipes I came across is called the Frosted Owl. It is a healthier and delicious alternative to a traditional mimosa, where you are replacing the sugar-heavy orange juice with a spiced black tea.

Start brewing your black tea with loose leaves, as you would normally, and add a few spices to the mix. You can add chai spices and some coconut as well, for added flavor. If you want a little bit more sweetness, you can mix three parts of the brewed tea with one part of pineapple juice. It will give the entire drink a very nice flavor. When your initial mix is done, you can fill up half of your champagne glasses with your tea/juice combination, and then top them off with some champagne.

For a little extra pizzazz, you can garnish with lemon rings, pomegranate, and a couple candy canes!

The Peach Smoother

The Peach Soother is another “must-try” tea recipe you will want to make for the holidays. Consisting of chamomile infused gin, peach syrup and some freshly squeezed lime juice, it is a truly refreshing and tasty drink that you can enjoy in the evening when you are relaxing by the fireplace.

I tried it out with some friends and it was one of the best tea cocktails I have ever tasted. To start it off, add your loose-leaf chamomile tea (around 1g) to 5 ounces of gin. Infuse the gin for one week, and then strain out the tea. You can always make a bigger batch, if you plan on making the drink a few times, or if you are going to serve it to the whole family during your Christmas celebrations!

When you have your chamomile infused gin ready, you can start making the peach simple syrup. Take three peaches, cut them up into a few small pieces, and boil them in a pot with 5 ounces of water and 5 ounces of sugar. Boil the entire mixture for around five minutes, and make sure you use a spoon or a masher to really crush up those peaches. When the five minutes are up, you may take it off the boil and strain out the remaining fruit bits. If you have some syrup left over, you can always keep it in the fridge for later!

Mixing the Peach Soother is so easy! All you do is take 1.5 ounces of your infused gin, an ounce of the peach syrup and a little bit of freshly squeezed lime juice. You can always add a bit of cinnamon or your favorite chai spices to the top if you want a little bit more of a kick from your drink!

Now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the holidays! Merry Christmas!